All eyes on Brady-Tebow matchup

Wednesday

FOXBORO - Aaron Hernandez knows better than anyone what it'slike to play on a team with Tim Tebow, and with Tom Brady, too.

The Patriots' second-year tight end has taken the field withboth - with Tebow at the University of Florida and now as one ofBrady's favorite targets with the Patriots. Hernandez says he isfortunate to consider both good friends.

"They're two different people, so you really can't comparethem," he said. "They're two great leaders."

As would be expected, the quarterbacks were the main topic ofconversation Wednesday as preparations for Sunday's NewEngland-Denver contest kicked into high gear. Everyone, includingHernandez, was peppered with questions about Tebow.

"He brought a lot of energy to the game. When someone hasenergy, you can take from him," Hernandez said. "He's a popularperson. A lot of people like him."

Combine the fascination with Tebow, who is on the cover ofSports Illustrated this week, and Brady, who has lost count of howmany magazine covers he has been on, and it made for an unusualsituation.

The players and coaches did not seem all that interested intalking about the quarterbacks.

But this quarterback confrontation is too good to ignore. Withone of the largest mid-week gatherings of reporters all season, itwas more like a movie premiere. Everyone wanted to talk about thestars, the celebrities.

The Patriots seemed to have been told not to focus on Tebow, butrather Denver's strength as a team. That included Brady. The firstfour questions he was asked were about Tebow. His answers were notalways on the same subject.

Can you explain any better than anyone else how Tim Tebow isdoing this, Brady was asked.

"I think they have a very good team," he responded. "I thinkthey've obviously got a bunch of guys that play hard and play welltogether. I think they complement each other very well - offense,defense, special teams.

"Honestly, I've been focusing on their defense. I haven'twatched a lot of Broncos offense this week. I've seen all theirgames, and they have a lot of good players - D.J. Williams, ChampBailey. Obviously, I've played against him a bunch. I really have alot of respect for a lot of those guys on the defensive side of theball. That's really our challenge this week. We'll let thedefensive guys handle their offense."

Have you ever met Tebow?

"No," Brady said.

Have you ever been on a team where one player seems to raise thelevel of his teammates around him?

"I'd say, as a team, everyone is trying to raise everybody'scollective level energy and enthusiasm, and that's part of being ateam," Brady said. "You can really only do your job. That's whatCoach Belichick has stressed to us day after day here.

"I can only play quarterback, Andre Carter can only playdefensive end, Kevin Faulk can only play running back, and you haveto do your job as well as you possibly can, because no one else cando it for you. The better you do it and the better everyoneindividually does it, the better collectively you'll be as ateam."

Is there a part of you intrigued about what Tebow is doing?

"I appreciate good quarterback play. I'm always watching aroundthe league, whether it's Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees havingphenomenal years," Brady answered. "Obviously, Tim is having agreat year. You watch guys and the way that they perform underpressure, and it says a lot about who they are and the way theirteammates feel about them. It's a big challenge. It's going to be avery electric environment out there. We've had some really greatgames against the Broncos over the years. I'm sure this will be nodifferent."

When Tebow spoke with New England reporters, he was asked abouthis visit with Belichick and the Patriots before the 2010draft.

"It was a great opportunity to get to know a great coach," Tebowsaid. "All those opportunities, pre-draft when I went to meet withteams and organizations, I know they were trying to get a feel forme, but I was also trying to learn something each and every visit.Just to be around Coach Belichick and all those other great coachesin New England, I felt like it was a great opportunity to learn. Itried to take as much as I possibly could, to learn from a greatcoach, one of the best to coach. It was a phenomenal opportunityfor me, and I'm very grateful that he was that interested inme."

What did he learn that day?

"I think it was just picking up a lot of different things;certain things [the way] they go about it," he said. "It was thedifferent things he's looking for, a lot of little things that youtry to pick up as a player, from demeanors, to attitudes, tocertain fundamentals. It was a great opportunity to learn a lot,and I feel like I really did."

Tebow sounded like a Patriot when asked about what he facesSunday.

"They're a very good defense. Obviously they're verywell-coached, from Coach Belichick," he said. "They have a lot ofplaymakers. They create a lot of turnovers. They've been getting tothe quarterback a lot and just find a way to make big plays, andkeep teams from getting in the end zone. They might give up alittle yardage here and there, but they always stand stout in thered area and find a way to come up with the big plays."

Tebow answered all the questions. When it was over, his partingwords were, "God bless."

pkenyon@providencejournal.com

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